Is it true that having sex can make a full-term pregnant mom go into labor?

Over the years, some pregnant women, midwives, and doctors have suggested that having sex near the end of pregnancy might help bring about the onset of labor. One theory has been that the hormones present in semen (prostaglandins) and the contractions of orgasm stimulated the cervix. But studies show no such link.

In fact, research shows that women who have sex in the final weeks of pregnancy go into labor a few days later than women who don't have sex. (The results of these studies don't necessarily mean that sex delays labor, but the research adds to the evidence that sex and labor are probably not related.)

There's nothing wrong with a woman having sex during a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy — right up until her water breaks. Just don't expect it to jump-start labor.

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